Longbow spikes

[TeutonicKnight]

Ok, I've played several campaigns as the English, but I've never actually seen the spikes Longbowmen can deploy be useful for anything.

Maybe I'm doing something different? Should I be deploying my longbows in front of my infantry, and using spikes to shield them some?

What happens when enemy units cross spikes? Will anything happen to my own units if they cross them?

Stupid questions I know. I should have a clue by now regarding these. I've just never bothered to use them as they didn't fit into my plans.

[Vladimir]

I've only played the 1.2 version but I noticed that when I have missile units and the AI doesn't they attack. This doesn't take numbers into account and they may loose but you don't get a chance to use your archers to great effect. This may be important in determining whether you set up stakes or not. If the enemy doesn't have any missile units, don't assume that you'll have an easy victory using yours.

[Canopus]

I've used it a few times. It can be very useful in defense. See the bridge defense thread for an example image. I did such thing myself, but closer to the bridge, and it was a slaughter. If you don't want your archer in the front line, they can still deploy there and you regroup them immediatly after the start of the battle.

In field battle the enemy cavalry hardly charges into the spikes, but even it it doesnt kill anyone you can plan with it. Where you have spikes, you can assign your spearmen somewhere else.

Obviously, however, the stakes are of little use if you are the attacker and have to move out of your position.

[Lusted]

You can only deploy stakes in the deployment phase before the battle begins.

Spikes disrupt enemy infantry that come through them, and kill enemy cav that move through them. They will also kill your own cav that move through them.

Generally i deploy stakes in a nice defensive position, with a line of dismounted knights behind the longbowmen, then when the battle starts i switch the 2 round so the dismounted knights are in front beihnd the stakes, and the longbowmen behind them.

[Slaists]

well, the AI cavalry is programmed to avoid spikes at all cost. There are (probably ahistorical) ways to "lure" AI cavalry into them (placing a unit halfway on the spikes, halfway in front of them, pulling the unit back before cavalry impact).

on another note, spikes are useful to protect the archers from frontal cavalry charge. they can sit behind the spikes and shoot away in straight trajectory (rather than over the heads of spearmen, for example), while spears protect flanks.

infantry will still be able to go through the spikes, but infantry is slower and more advanced longbows can hold their ground against infantry anyway. alternatively, pull the longbows back before infantry contact.

[TeutonicKnight]

Awesome info. I'll be giving them a shot with my Yeomen tonight. :)

[Lamprey]

They're great because as enemy infantry moves through, their formation is disrupted and they're easier to kill. Also, if there's a way around them the enemy will take it which is useful if you want to "funnel" the enemy army into a kill zone.

[FactionHeir]

Actually stakes do not kill cavalry moving through it. That is a common misconception:
Stakes only kill running cavalry that move towards and into the stakes. The running part is quite important here. If you walk cavalry through the stakes to attack units behind them, you will not take additonal casualties due to stakes alone, but at best due to disrupted formation, i.e vulnerable to rear cav charge. That again isn't actually bad as any cav charging your rear then will impale themselves on their own pikes.

[Zatoichi]

They can be very handy for a 'cheesy' defence tactic in sieges as well - a set of spikes behind the gate can spell the end for the Mongol invasion!

[Roy1991]

Also, the stakes are great for protecting your men from enemy artillery (everything besides mortars and trebuchets). Lots of projectiles will be stopped by the stakes, while they normally would hit your men.